Don’t Forget to Backup Your Files: A Writing Q & A

Question: I know I should backup my writing, but I don’t. What do you recommend?

Answer: I’m so glad you asked. Having a good backup is essential.

It’s not a matter of if we lose some of our writing but of when.

In addition to using some of the file backup options listed below, each time I finish a writing session, I make copies of the document on my computer and another on a second computer. I also make a weekly copy of all my files on an external hard drive.

File Backup Options

For a free backup option, sign up for a Gmail account and email a copy of your work each time you finish writing.

All these file back up options, however, require some effort on our part, so to automatically backup files to the cloud, I also use Carbonite. A basic plan is $6 a month. When you consider the time we invest in writing, this is inexpensive insurance.

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2 thoughts on “Don’t Forget to Backup Your Files: A Writing Q & A”

We use Dropbox for all my writing since I lost those interviews a couple years ago, and it works well. I also like the fact that if you accidentally delete something you can get it back within thirty days. That is, if you realize you’ve lost it! But thanks for these other ideas! I still want something for all the photos.

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